1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an openable motor vehicle roof with a carrier for a cover element for a roof opening which is movably guided in the lengthwise direction of the roof by means of a first slide element and a second slide element which are offset relative to one another in the lengthwise direction of the roof in a roof-mounted guide, the first slide element being guided in the vertical direction along a first guideway and the second slide element along a second guideway, and the first and the second guideways being at different vertical levels.
2. Description of Related Art
A motor vehicle roof of the initially mentioned type is known, for example, from published German Patent Application DE 33 45 122 A1, the cover element being the cover of a spoiler roof, i.e., the first and the second guideway being made such that the cover can be raised, proceeding from the closed position, at its rear edge and can be pushed to the rear in this position in order to clear the roof opening. The first and the second guideway are made as cam slots in a roof-mounted guide, and in the lengthwise direction of the roof, are arranged in succession, a respective cover-mounted pin fitting into each of the cam slots. In the area of the front pin, there is a sliding block which is driven by a drive cable and which fits into a roof-mounted guide rail which is located opposite the roof-mounted guide. The disadvantage in this construction is that, on the one hand, a guide is necessary as an additional component, the course of the cam slots is limited such that their crossing is precluded, and furthermore, there is stable guidance of the cover only in the front area of the cover by means of the sliding block.
A primary object of this invention is to devise an openable motor vehicle roof in which the cover element can be raised by the engagement of the two slide elements attached to the cover element into two different guideways, yet a configuration of the guideways that is as flexible as possible, and a guidance of the cover element that is as stable as possible overall are obtained.
This object is achieved in accordance with the invention by a motor vehicle roof in which the first guideway and the second guideway are offset relative to one another in the transverse direction of the roof. In this approach according to the invention, it is advantageous that the first and the second guideways are offset relative to one another in the transverse direction of the roof because it enables the two guideways to be designed independently of one another so as to never cross, and furthermore, maximum stability of guidance can be achieved.